RIP: Ursula K. Le Guin 1929 – 2018

Devastating news hitting us this afternoon: Acclaimed fantasy novelist Ursula K. Le Guin passed away on Monday at the age of 88. Her son confirmed the death today and said that his mother had been in poor health for some time. No cause of death has been given.

Born in Berkeley, California on October 21, 1929, Le Guin published “The Left Hand of Darkness” in 1969 and the Earthsea series beginning in 1968. She defied fantasy convention by transcending tropes and twisted her fiction with a literary bend that did not concern swords and sorcery or space odyssey.

In addition to novels, Le Guin penned more than 100 short stories, essays, children novels, poetry and translations. Ms. Le Guin is survived by her husband, son, two daughters, two brothers and four grandchildren and millions of fans of her remarkable work.

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Birthdays

On this day, December 18, in 1939, Michael Moorcock was born in London, England. His well-known character, the brooding, violent anti-Tolkienesque elf Elric of Melniboné, was incredibly influential in modern fantasy literature. Mr. Moorcock was also the long time editor of British magazine New Worlds, which ushered in the New Wave in science fiction of the 60s and 70s. Among other awards, he has been given lifetime achievement honors from the British Fantasy Awards, the World Fantasy Awards, and the Bram Stoker Awards, and in 2002 was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. He currently splits his time between Texas and Paris; today he turns 79.